How do you make the decision to put your dog to sleep???

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louise1967

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My little Westie bitch who turned 16 2 weeks ago, may need to be put down, she has been arthritic in 3 legs for a few years now, but is sort of managing on Metacam, she wee's blood now and again and does seem to be going a little cenile, but I have taken her to the vets twice to enquire about putting her down and she seems to perk up at the vets and adrenilin kicks in and starts acting young again and the vets say she is fine for a bit longer. I always thought the decision would be easy as her brother died 2 yrs ago after a choking accident and after seeing that I thought having a dog put down would be easier, but I dont know if to keep her going or put her to sleep.
 
I think you will know, they kind of tell you when they've had enough but if you're not sure 16 is a brilliant age and as soon as she seems to stop enjoying life would be the right time.
 
Firstly that's a brilliant age for a dog. They don't get to that age unless looked after well.
It was easy the decision for us. Our dog loved to be on the go and hunt. He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma and the vet rang us up whilst our dog was under anaesthetic to investigate. He told us he would have to amputate the leg immediately, then chemo. That would buy us time. Most dogs do well on 3 legs but not ours (he had had OCD of the opposite leg as a pup, spondylosis of the spine and arthritis all be managed well but still there). We would take away everything our dog loved (running, hunting, playing, walking) and subject him to all he hated (immobility, vets, walking short distances) It was easy and we let him go under anaesthetic. If you apply what you know to your dog, it will help to assess her quality of life. If the bad stuff out weighs the good then it is time. I hope you are ok.
 
16 is a fantastic age for a dog
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In the case of getting our old boy PTS, he told us he'd had enough. He had been going steadily downhill (hips going, obviously in pain) but one night my uncle (who owned him) could just tell he'd had enough. He was a very proud dog and was getting v.distressed that he was having accidents in the house, having to be helped upstairs and steps etc TBH If it had been my decision, I probably would have had him PTS that bit sooner.

He had a full fillet steak for his last dinner and then was taken to the vets where he was PTS while my uncle and my little 5 year old cousin held him.
 
Our first dog, a spinger x lab was PTS @ 15 years old, she was an active dog and slowly her legs started going - its not fair for an agile dog to be reduced to that, she started losing her bowels often, we decided to give her some dignity and let her go 'early' befor she truly started suffering.

My most recent dog Baba was PTS when I woke up one morning to find him completely prone on the floor, he'd lost his bowels during the night and was having difficulty breathing. In short he was dying in front of us. I found it terribly hard to let go of that dog, and I think I kept him going longer than I should have. he didnt truly know me @ the end, and to put him to sleep without knowing he recognised my touch or voice was crippling.

To sum up - you will never regret having put your dog to sleep to early, but leaving it too late will cause a lifetime of regret for what your beloved pet went through to save you pain.

Do it sooner rather than later, you'll know when. xxx
 
When she no longer wants to walk/play with her favourite toy I think it is a good indication. With our cat(slightly different I suppose) we just had no option in the end, it became impossible to keep him alive but they do tell you.
 
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To sum up - you will never regret having put your dog to sleep to early, but leaving it too late will cause a lifetime of regret for what your beloved pet went through to save you pain.

Do it sooner rather than later, you'll know when. xxx

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I so, so agree with this statement. I have recently had an experience where a friend of mine kept her dog alive because "she couldn't be without her" - the dog was obviously suffering greatly, and I hated going around there and seeing the dog in pain.

As the others have said, you will know when the time is right - be brave, and make the right decision for your dog, I am sure you will agree that you owe them that after the years of happiness they have given you
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That was really heart rendering reading your post brought a tear!! i totally agree with you alot of people keep there pets alive for themself not because there cruel but because they find it so hard to let go its sad but it happens to all of us and i dred the day i need to make that desision!!!! x
 
What a fantastic age! Well done!

Luckily I have not had to make that deicsion yet, my elddest will be eight in Sept & is still like a puppy at the moment!

I have always said that when their quality of life is not good enough & to let the go with dignity. Even though it will be hard & I am a self diagnoised heartless cow!! I will shed a tear! LOL!

Where I work we have a lady ring us for stuff for her cat who is 17 (great age) It has cancer of the face (rodent ulcer) I so want to scream at her to have it pts. The cat has no life let alone quality or dignity. She is only keeping it alive for her own reasons & this I personally believe is wrong.

You will know when the time comes. Their eyes do not lie to us!
Hopefully it wont happen in the near future with your dog.
 
With great difficulty
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We had a GSD who had to be PTS 2 years ago due to cancer
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and we went by how he was in himself and by our vet
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The morning when we realised he had to go he was very quiet and not himself. I booked him into the vets in the afternoon and it was almost as though he was going round and spending some time with all of us saying goodbye
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You have to try to think of their quality of life
 
I think you just know - when we had to have our old lab pts we could tell he had just had enough. Thank god it isn't like humans where we have to watch them suffer but we can do something about it
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I agree with others who say it is better to pts too early rather than too late, but you sound like a very caring owner and I think you will know when the time is right. Your dog sounds like our Lancs heeler, we took her twice to the vets thinking it was going to be her last journey, and by the time we got there she was quite perky. Our vet said take her home and enjoy her for a little longer, which we did. But when the spark went out of her eyes, and she didn't want to eat that was when we made the final decision. She had been fine the night before, begging food off our plates but the next morning she had had enough of life. Sending you hugs as you face up to this awful decision.
 
Aw sweetheart what a terrible decision to make. I'm sat here crying and I don't even know your dog. My oldest is only 11 and very fit and healthy. I dread the day she will have to be PTS. My heart is with you.
 
Thanks for all your comments!!! I have arranged for her to be PTS tomorrow, not sure if I will go through with it yet though, I thought I was going to find her dead this morning after her being really strange last night, but yet again she has perked up, the down sides are, she is arthritic in 3 legs, shes been weeing blood on and off for a year now with cystitis, anti biotics clear it up but it always comes back, she is totally deaf and a little blind, yet on a good day she comes out with the black lab and keeps up and seems very perky, she is not incontinent, which is another reason to do it before she loses her dignity, another plus is that she has all her teeth, oh I dont know, its horrible having an animals life depend on your decision.
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having just gone through this a few weeks ago i would say both of our old dogs told us when the time was right,Blue our little whippet had kidney failure and although we got him through a lot he was 13 we all knew that he had had enough and his eyes said it all,he had stopped eating and he never even moved much through the day just slept,so we took him to our vet who was lovely and he agreed it was time as he did say he would not have got through the week.

He went peacfully in our arms
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There will come a defining moment; I have had to several put down over the years and there always is a defining moment. For example, I had one little bitch that I had rescued a few years before. She had had a selection of medical problems and ended up with a splenic tumour. It was diagnosed and the vet and I decided there was little point in operating. Because of her history prior to rescue, she was always a reserved little dog and would never sat on my lap like the others did. Exactly a week after the diagnosis of the tumour she wouldn't eat her tea and the light had gone out of her eye (if you know what I mean). I stayed up all night with her sitting on my lap. That was the defining moment and she was quietly PTS the next morning.
 
I think you are all right and there is a defining moment, I didnt have her put to sleep today, I just couldnt go through with it, she is quite perky today, I have uped her metacam and got her some more anti biotics and she seems better today, I will have to count the good days against the bad days. I am just gratefull I have got her for a little bit longer.
 
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